The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Braking a motor vehicle, whether a passenger vehicle or commercial truck, involves an operator of the vehicle manually engaging a primary brake. Engagement of the primary brake typically involves increasing the friction between the brake element and the axle of the vehicle, though other types of braking are known in the art. While this method of braking is welt known and useful for its intended purpose, relying solely on a manually operated brake while on a steep road grade can increase the wear on the brake which can reduce the useful life of the brake. For example, increased wear can lead to an increased rate of the reduction of the brake lining, increased rotor temperature, and increased brake fade.
One solution to avoid excessive wear on the primary brake while on steep road grades is to apply extra braking. The extra braking can include various forms of braking, including downshifting of the transmission in the motor vehicle, activation of engine compression brakes, or activation of an exhaust brake. While useful for reducing wear on the primary brake, in the past this extra braking was manually engaged by the operator of the motor vehicle, thereby increasing the complexity of operating the vehicle.
One solution to the above problem is to automatically activate downshifting, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,212,458 B1, hereby incorporated by reference as if fully disclosed herein. While automatic downshifting is useful for its intended purpose, there is room in the art for improvement in providing additional mechanical automatic extra braking to a motor vehicle.